


And Maybe That Makes Sense

by ImAnIdiot



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Good Morgana (Merlin), Hurt No Comfort, Probably ooc, Solidarity, Unrequited Love, and Arthur is marrying Gwen, but uther is still dead, merlin and morgana are sad together, shh just accept it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-18 21:08:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19342675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImAnIdiot/pseuds/ImAnIdiot
Summary: “Oh,” She says quietly and he knows she’s realized that they’re the same, two fools stuck pining after people who can never love them the way they want them to. He can see the realization work its way up her spine.





	And Maybe That Makes Sense

**Author's Note:**

> this is probably very ooc, but it's my first time writing for this fandom. please complain at me in the comments.

“Oh,” She says quietly and he knows she’s realized that they’re the same, two fools stuck pining after people who can never love them the way they want them to. He can see the realization work its way up her spine.

 

“Oh,” He agrees, because isn’t telling people supposed to make it better, to ease the pain? He doesn’t know anymore. Morgana sighs shakily at him, curling one of her hands into a fist before releasing it. Something in his chest does the same, but keeps curled in a tight knot. It’s been doing that a lot, lately.

 

“When?” She whispers and Merlin can see a sort of morbid curiosity in her tone, the way she closes her eyes for a second, as if to pray for strength. He knows the feeling.

 

There are a lot of ways he could answer this question, he thinks. He could talk about how fuzzy Arthur is in the morning, before he’s fully woken up; he could talk about the way the banter has become fond instead of cutting; he could tell her about the determination in Arthur’s eyes, the will to be better than his father. But he doesn’t because those are experiences, not instances, but maybe that says more than anything else could. Instead of saying all that, though, he simply answers, “Always; forever.” And maybe that’s the same thing.

 

Morgana nods like she understands this, like it speaks to her, and Merlin knows it does. He thinks that Gwen is probably easier to fall in love with, anyway. The ‘always’ probably makes sense there, rather than with Merlin and Arthur, where the excuse is that he has simply forgotten exactly when it happened. Maybe that says something, too.

 

“What will you do?” She asks, then, and Merlin understands the look in her eye, the desperation of someone looking for answers for themself in someone else. He’s been there before. He thinks he might be there now.

 

He shrugs in answer. “What I’ve always done,” he says. “Protect Arthur.” He pauses here, looks Morgana in the eye. “What will _you_ do?”

 

Morgana sighs a short breath and pulls her bottom lip to her teeth for a moment. “I don’t know…” She trails off uncertainly. “Maybe I’ll do what you do; protect people. Maybe I’ll protect Gwen.”

 

He smiles for the first time in weeks. It’s a small, bitter, pathetic thing, he knows. “That sounds good.” He says, because there’s not much else he _can_ say. Based on the half smile on Morgana’s face, she knows, too. This camaraderie will have to be enough for the two of them to cope with their feelings. He thinks they both know it’s pointless.

 

“...See you at the wedding?” Morgana offers. He smiles.

 

“Of course, My Lady.” He bows and, just like that, the camaraderie is gone and they’re just Lady and servant again.

 

He thinks that, in comparison to Arthur’s friendship and Gwen’s support, the easy way Morgana fits back into place is refreshing.

 

It’s nice to have someone know him.


End file.
